Seven injured as Polish fans clash with police in Madrid

MADRID: Five Polish fans and two police officers were injured after clashes before Tuesday’s Champions League game between Real Madrid and Legia Warsaw in the Spanish capital.

The clashes started as fans arrived at the Santiago Bernabeu before kick-off for the Group F game classed as a high-risk fixture by the Spanish authorities.

Some fans hurled objects, including glass bottles and flares, at police, threatening journalists who recorded the skirmishes which lasted half an hour before order was restored.

“There were no arrests,” Spanish police said.

Spanish authorities had been expecting around 3,500 Legia fans to make the trip to the Santiago Bernabeu with 2,000 security personnel employed to police them.

Earlier three Polish football fans were arrested hours before kick-off.

The three detainees, aged 31, 33 and 34, attacked waitresses in a bar in the La Latina district of Madrid, stealing the mobile phone of one woman and attempting to rob cash from the till, a police spokesperson confirmed to AFP.

When police arrived at the scene, they were also confronted by the three fans.

The return match between the sides in two weeks’ time will be played behind closed doors after Legia were sanctioned by UEFA for racist behaviour and fighting among the home fans in Legia’s 6-0 defeat to Borussia Dortmund last month.